The Hunted

Chapter Three

"I can't believe he flipped the fucking car." I stirred as Grant pulled himself over the console. The entire right side of his hair and face was stained with blood from a blow to his temple. He reached over me to undo my seatbelt and swore when it didn't spring open.

Ben was passed out across from me. He was hanging limply in his seat, broken glass strewn across his lap and rain darkening his hair and clothes. I called his name but he didn't move or respond. Fear shot through me.

"Let me get you free first, witch," Grant said, "we'll worry about wonder-mutt after, okay?" I blinked and realised for the first time how disorientated I was. The side of my head was thumping where it had collided with the doorframe and my nose was bloated and stinging from the airbag's hit.

Grant grabbed my seatbelt and with a grunt, ripped the material from the metal clip and freed me, grabbing my arm before I could slide out of my seat and onto the broken glass. He heaved me over the middle console into the backseat with him where the doors were less crushed. I hissed through my teeth and he grunted out an apology as he got me into the backseat. Grant held me tight to his chest for a long moment, his forehead resting on my shoulder as he took a a few deep breathes.

"Ben," I mumbled. My ears were ringing slightly and blood was still trickling into my mouth from my nose. Grant didn't answer, he just continued to maneuver my body through the wreck, trying to be as careful as possible as he pulled me through the shattered back window. My skin caught on the broken shards, nipping painfully and making me cry out.

My back hit the pavement with a heavy thud and I groaned as rain splashed my face, my torso, my legs. It was cold and sharp and bit into my skin painfully. I opened my eyes and watched the sky and trees swirl above me, their colors melting together.

And then I saw pale grey eyes.

"Morda?" Grant's hands were on my upper arm, my neck, my face. "Come on, witch."

I pulled in a deep breath and pulled myself up into a seated position. Severe head rush made me sway but Grant steadied me and the rain began to wake my sense back up. I looked past Grant to the jeep. The vehicle was completely wrecked—the frame was twisted and all of the windows shattered. The front half of the jeep was smoking as it seemed to sink lower into the ditch we had rolled in to.

I was standing a moment later, calling out Ben's name and stumbling forward. "I'll get him," Grant assured me, panic starting to raise his voice. He was staring past me in a way that raised the hairs along my spine.

I turned slowly and saw, a hundred paces off, the line of Daemon Hunters slowly approaching. I swore and looked back at Grant who was torn between getting Ben out and protecting me.

I prayed for fire. "Get Ben," I directed.

Grant shook his head slightly, his mind working behind his eyes. "I—they're coming too fast—"

One look at the smoking vehicle made the choice easy for me. "Get Ben."

Grant shook his head and came to stand in front of me, drawing his bare chest up to his full height. "Ben will be okay; he'll get himself out." He sounded as though he were convincing himself. "You are my priority."

"This isn't an issue of want or need," I argued, grabbing his arm to turn him around so he was forced to face me. "I need Ben to be okay." I could hear the Daemon Hunters hissing and growling as Grant's eyes surveyed my face.

"Run," he commanded, taking my arm and pushing me towards the forest. "I'll catch up to you—don't try to fight them there are too many—just run and we will follow."

I shook my head. "My fire—"

"Would be burning already if it were accessible," Grant argued. I felt my heart sank as I realised he was right. "You're injured and disorientated—you aren't going to be able to hold off this many so you need to run." He gave me another shove—this time not so lightly.

I stumbled back to him, nerves starting to prickle all over my body. "Grant—" A loud hiss cut me off.

"Go," he commanded, pushing me harder. I stumbled towards the woods as he pushed on my shoulder, twisting my body and urging me forward. "Run!"

I ran, hating myself more with each step I took. I fell at the ditch, the earth made soft by the week of rainfall. I scrambled up the side, mud clinging to my hands, knees and boots. I heard Grant swear behind me and resisted the urge to look back and help.

I broke into the tree line, throwing my arms up to cover my face from the branches. I ran as fast as I could despite the aching in my body and the confusion in my head. My clumsy feet kept catching on twigs and loose rocks and potholes. I tripped a few times and scrambled up with scratched knees and stinging palms.

There was a thick fog rolling on the forest floor, it rose hazily to my knees and almost completely hid my feet. I fought through it, coming to a place in the forest where the trees were spread far apart.

I kept running until my lungs felt shriveled in my chest and pain exploded behind my eyes with each step I took. I threw my back against a think tree trunk and doubled over, hands on my knees as I tried to wrack in a few deep breaths.

I held my breath when I heard a hiss.

I straightened my body and closed my eyes when black spots burst before my eyes. The hissing grew closer as I struggled to clear my head and fight for control over my breath. I felt the bloodstone on my arm heat up and clenched my teeth.

"Witch," a Hunter hissed, it's guttural voice bouncing off of the trees.

I pressed my hands firmly against the rough bark of the trees, ignoring how my hair caught and the back of my shoulders stung and itched from the contact. I looked upwards, hoping for a low enough branch to swing myself on to but only seeing thin shoots that wouldn't be able to hold my weight.

I swore under my breath and prepared myself to run. I looked around the forest first, looking for a path that offered me both cover and a clear get away. This portion of the forest was sparse in vegetation, the only thing that covered the forest floor were decaying leaves and pine needles. This made running fairly easy but made finding cover especially difficult.

I heard a hiss and froze. The Daemon Hunter was on the other side of the tree I was pressed up against. I could hear bubbling noises come from its throat as it breathed, fighting the blood that had collected in its lungs from hissing.

I heard its fingernails scrape against the bark and took off before it could round the tree trunk and catch me. My takeoff igniting a fresh wave of hissing and cries as the Hunters pursued, running clumsily through the forest.

I chanced a look over my shoulder and saw them scrambling after me, tripping over one another and catching their shoulders and knees on trees and low branches. I swallowed hysteria and ran as fast as I could, breaking through a thick line of trees and stopping short.

I had run right into a piece of forest with short, thin trees. Their trunks were no thicker than pipes and their foliage offered no cover or protection. Rain pelted down onto my shoulders and face, forcing my eyes to blink and curving my body in a shiver.

Unable to turn around, I stooped over and trudged forward. The trees were thin but packed tightly together, making it hard to maneuver my body. My feet kept catching on thick, foliage equipped with thorns.

I let out a small cry as I fell, my feet hopelessly tangled. I tried to grab a tree as I tumbled but only ended up skinning my palm. I felt thorns sink into the skin of my hands and forearms and swore as I fought to kick my feet free.

"Witch," a Hunter screamed in a broken voice. Panic made my movements jerky as I fought the rain, the mud, the trees and the foliage that held me captive. There was no where to hide and the way forward was only more unnavigable.

I felt a hand clasp down on my angle and turned to see a Hunter stuck in a similar position. His legs were caught in bramble and his shoulder socket was seemingly stuck between two dense tree trunks as he clutched my leg.

I kicked out as hard as I could, dislodging his grip and cracking the bones of his hand underneath my boot. The creature didn't cry out, its yellow eyes only narrowed as it flicked its grey tongue at me.

"Please," I prayed to the Goddess, to my mother, to anything that was listening. The more I struggled the more my feet were caught up in the undergrowth. I grabbed two nearby trees and wrapped my hand as tightly as I could around them before heaving my body forward. I paused when I felt my foot start to slide free from my boot and swore, letting my body fall to the forest floor.

Here I was, future Clan Mother of the Western Witch Clan, wielder of fire and tree magic, possible High Matron of my species and I was about to be devoured by Daemon Hunters because I couldn't fight my way out of some bushes.

I swore and closed my eyes before my own stupidity hit me in my face. Eve. Tree magic. The Celestial Oath. I thought of my friend, thought of her long hair and bright eyes, of her never ending chatter and the tattoo that sprawled down her arm. I heard her voice as she spoke about the trees, described them to me.

I threw out my hand blindly, trying to hold on to the image I had of her, tried to call out to her through whatever bond we had forged together. I swore and dropped my hand a fraction of an inch as I heard twigs snapping and guttural hissing as more Hunters joined us. I refocused and closed my eyes, urging the plants around my ankles to loosen, begging the trees ahead of me to part.

Nothing happened.

"Fuck," I screamed shrilly. I waved my hand around and wriggled my body, sinking further into mud and leaves and root. I demanded that the undergrowth release me, I commanded it to obey and channeled Eve's voice to do so.

Achingly slow, I felt the vice grip on my ankles loosen. I opened my eyes and watched as the roots jerkily obeyed, as if fighting themselves to resist my command. I cried out with joy and applied a little more pressure, feeling a slight strain on the bond between Eve and I.

My feet sprang free and I scrambled onto my knees and rushed forward, twisting my body to fit between two tree trunks. The Hunters cried out in anguish but I hurried on, working my way as quickly as I could through the thick vegetation and using Eve's abilities when I could muster enough focus and strength.

I broke through the last of the shrubbery and was reintroduced into the sprawling forest. I stood straight and took a moment to collect myself before I turned and used the last of my strength to close the gap I had left in the trees and to snarl the branches as much as I could to slow down the Hunters.

I heard the distinct howl of a wolf and turned madly, trying to locate the sound. The forest manipulated every sound, making each direction a plausible place of origin. I started walking forward slowly, listening for anything else that might get me closer to Grant.

After what felt like ten minutes of walking I began to get the creeping feeling that I was being followed while simultaneously feeling as though I was completely alone and walking further away from Ben and Grant. I wrapped my arms around myself as my damp clothes caught the wind and hung heavily on my frame.

My lower jaw started to chatter as I walked, looking around constantly. I had a niggling feeling that I was walking in circles. Each new section of forest looked like the last and the heavy fog wasn't helping.

I lifted shaking fingers to my nose and winced, it was bloated and stinging. Thankfully, it was no longer bleeding and the blood under my nose had dried and cracked. I rubbed it away gently on my damp sleeve, trying to be as careful with my body as I could. I hadn't been able to stop and take full inventory of my injuries yet.

"Morda!" I heard my name from a distance and spun, my heart jamming itself high in my throat. I tried to call back but my voice was blocked and no words could form. I stumbled towards the sound and then stopped myself.

I heard a sudden break in the trees and spun just as Ben broke through the branches. He didn't stop to greet me, just grabbed my arm and continued on sprinting. I bit my tongue as my shoulder tugged in the socket but forced my feet to keep pace with his.

He urged me faster and then tripped, taking me down with him. We both tumbled and rolled. I heard him swear as he came to an abrupt stop against a tree and scrambled up quickly. I pushed myself up and wiped the mud off of my leg before looking back to see absolutely nothing. There were no Hunters pursuing us.

"Hurry," Ben urged, his hand waving in front of my face for me to take. "Quick."

"Ben—" He reached down and picked me up, swinging me into a standing position and pulling me tight to his side before we took off at a jog. He was limping and cursing beside me, tawny eyes frantic. "What's happening?"

"We need to get out of this forest," Ben rambled, "we need to get out before they catch us."

"Where's Grant—"

"Gone."

I stopped walking. "Gone?"

Ben's eyes were feverish and for the first time I noticed the amount of blood around his neck and across his chest. "They got him—I couldn't help—fuck." He hit the side of his head and closed his eyes before he fell to his knees. I fell with him, my head shaking back and forth.

"No."

Ben's hands were trembling. "They surrounded us at the Jeep—Grant helped me into the forest. We tracked you but they caught up to us. We fought but there were so many and they don't feel pain... I... we..."

I gripped his arm tightly, to the point where I was sure I would bruise him. "Ben," I rasped despite the growing hole in my chest. "Where is Grant?"

Ben looked up at me through a thick line of tears. Everything inside me collapsed. "They took him down, Morda. They piled on, they r-ripped his skin... they... I've never—fuck, I'm so sorry, Morda. I'm so fucking sorry."

I fell backwards and didn't stop my fall as my head hit the ground. I looked up at the trees as Grant's howl echoed through my brain again, bouncing around my skull. "He's a Pura Lupus," I whispered, "he's unbreakable."

Ben had his head low between his knees. "I tried to help but he told me to go—told me to find you and I..."

I felt sick. I felt angry. I felt nothing.

"He's not dead," I declared, rising slowly to my feet. "I would know. I would've felt it."

Ben drew in a long, quivering breath. "Morda, what I saw—"

"You didn't see him die," I snapped, "you only saw him fall. He's still fighting for me."

I heard a hiss and turned towards the sound, anger controlling each movement. I ignored Ben's calls and headed for the Hunter approaching. I heard Ben run after me and picked up my pace. The Hunter hissed with joy as I came closer and reached out its grey hands.

I reached out too and grabbed it by its throat, feeling fire blast from my chest down my arm and into the creature's body. The flames circled just under its skin, pushing an orange light out of its mouth and eyes. I squeezed my hand and the Daemon Hunter squealed and then exploded into ash.

Ben grabbed me around the waist and spun me around so his back was to the exploding Hunter. When I opened my eyes I saw a burst of grey ash rain over us, coating Ben's dark hair and clinging to his silhouette.

Silently, he straightened us both and took my hand, picking up our speed until we were in a run. Ben was far more comfortable moving in the woods than I was. He could anticipate each dip and turn like he had run this path before.

Ben stopped running and pulled me up short. I ran into his back, heart racing alongside my lungs as my body screamed and burned. The physical pain was secondary however, to my fear—fear of the forest, fear of the Hunters, fear that Ben was right and Grant was gone.

"Back up," Ben whispered, eyes moving along the trees rapidly.

"I—"

Five Hunters burst from the trees and sent us scrambling backwards as they hissed and spat. I threw my arm out but the fire in my chest needed time to kindle and grow after my explosion earlier. Ben tried to grab my hand and failed, running forward without me by his side.

I scrambled after him but a Hunter came between us. I struck out but the Daemon Hunter only snarled and continued to advance. Ben attacked him from behind, tackling the Hunter to the ground and falling with it.

I picked up a rock and set about bashing it into the Hunter's skull but it only snarled at me, half of its head crushed in. I dropped the rock out of surprise as its yellow eyes bore down on me. Ben grabbed its throat before it could advance any further and wrestled the creature to the ground.

"Go," he urged, voice strained. "Run!" His tawny eyes plead with mine, his face red from the effort it took to keep the single Hunter restrained. I heard the gathered hisses from the other Dark Men and decided that the best I could do for Ben was to lead the others away.

"Looking for a witch, sick freaks?" I screamed, voice brittle. "Come get me."

"Morda!" Ben yelled as I took off, outraged I had diverted the Hunters attention. I felt their pursuit, heard their desperate scramble as we ran. I forced myself to keep forward, to focus on anticipating each duck and lunge I had to make.

I was fast enough to gain a moment where I could double over and desperately rack air into my lungs. I swore as I looked around, hoping for some sort of endgame. I couldn't continue to run forever, I couldn't rely on random bursts of power, and I certainly couldn't depend on Ben and Grant to destroy the seemingly indestructible.

There was nothing to work to my advantage and given my little knowledge of the Daemon Hunters, there was no way for me to know what to use against them. I swore and took off in a jog again, panic creeping back into my muscles as I heard their far off hisses.

I felt a hand clamp down on my arm and let out a shrill scream. I heard Ben yell my name from far away but couldn't yell back as terror clamped down on my throat. A Hunter was clinging on to me with decaying fingers, squeezing my arm until it stopped the flow of blood.

I kicked out at the creature and slid in the heavy mud. It fell with me and scrambled, its fingers still a vice on my upper arm. I squirmed and kicked, cringing as my entire back was caked with mud. The rain was still falling, making it almost impossible to find purchase in the sopping ground.

"Witch," the Hunter snarled, blood spraying across my face. "Mundare, Necare, Praesidio."

I recoiled and kicked the Hunter hard enough in the chest that it let me go. I scrambled up to my feet and took a few rapid steps backwards only for the earth to give out under my feet. I didn't scream as I fell, I just tried desperately to grab purchase of anything.

I slid, tumbled, crashed down the hillside. My hands scraped the trunks of trees as I tried to slow my descent and my feet only sunk into the muddy forest floor as I tried to find my footing. I swore as I tipped and fell onto my side, taking the hill at a roll. All I could do was cover my head as I picked up speed and pray that I wouldn't collide with a boulder or tree.

My wish was granted as I fell off the cliff side and was plunged directly into icy cold water. The current dragged me under, submerging my entire body in the frigid water and sending my body into complete shock.

My muscles tensed and coiled as I attempted to adjust to the ice like water. I was unable to kick or hold my breath as my body's temperature plummeted. I sucked in black water and coughed immediately, my brain stinging along with my lungs.

The current brought me back up and I gasped as I broke the surface, my arms for the first time responding to my desperate instructions. I tried to keep afloat, kicking my failing legs and circling my arms.

The current was killer. The week of rainfall had risen the water level and eroded the shores, making escape near impossible. I shrieked and spat out water, catching the jerky movements of the Hunters as they followed my course downstream from the top of the hillside.

I was claimed by the river again and kept my eyes open, trying to look past the dark water and the white wash of the current for something to hold on to. I surfaced and then plunged again, the current spinning me around.

I kicked as hard as I could, breaking the water long enough to hear a howl. My entire body seized at the sound and I fought as hard as I could to stay on the surface of the water as I was pushed rapidly downstream. I caught the Hunters moving again on the hillside then up ahead, I saw a white blur streaking through the trees.

Relief swallowed me as I saw Grant. He looked down at the same time and howled again before breaking off into a sharp, high whine as he tried to descend the steep, treacherous hillside. I opened my mouth to yell out to him and swallowed water, my vision darkening as I once again fell victim to the current.

I was under longer this time, my limbs no longer responding with the same amount of energy as before. I was under long enough to no longer hear the rushing of the water, under long enough to no longer feel the burning in my chest.

I crested the surface and drew in a long, stinging breath. I caught broad antlers I saw the stag standing proud at the mouth of the river. Its stare bore down on me before it dropped its head low.

The river swallowed me and I gave in. I let the current drag me deeper until my feet skimmed the bottom of the river. I opened my eyes and watched the water rush and whirl around me, watched debris float past, watched the sky's light bend above me.

And then I was propelled to the surface. When I broke through the water I was able to take a mind-clearing breath. When I blinked the water out of my eyes and focused my vision I felt my heart stop.

The entire surface of the river was on fire. 

* * * 

This is an excerpt only, the rights to this story has been bought by Inkitt for their new reading app Galatea!

You can find me there under Abby Lynne and find this story under the series title "Wolves of the West: The Hunt!" Thanks so much! (: